Randomness

1. Breanne sent me flowers for my birthday earlier this week. She said it's the first time she'd ever sent flowers to anyone. I was honored to be the recipient. And they were gorgeous. Even AJ thought so.
2. Marie got me a Graydog! So beautiful. I'm planning to use this one rather than stash it away in my collection. It's too pretty not to share and I love the cool feel of the turquoise.

3. Addy's scarf is finished and in the mail, along with the last of the presents for the Colorado branch. I took a couple more shots before packing it up. I'm amazed at what a difference natural/outdoor light makes. Still liking the basketweave texture. Hope Addy likes it too. 4. While in Colorado, Rachel and I took a painting class at the local pottery store. We learned how to transfer images along with some painting tips and tricks. We left town before my plate was ready to be picked up so Rachel shipped it with some holiday presents. Not bad for a first effort, eh? The store has monthly classes so I'm hoping to take more when we next visit Addison.

5. I started a weaving project tonight. Found a new Noro Kureyon colorway (#226) that just screamed Christmas shawl, so I broke out the rigid heddle loom and warped it up. I'll start the actual weaving tomorrow, probably with a black sport-weight alpaca as the weft. Warping would have gone so much faster if Oreo hadn't felt the need to 'help'. Don't you love her "who, me?" look. I had to chase her off shortly after this when she grabbed the danging warp thread and tried to make a run for it. She almost managed to upend the teevee tray and dump everything on the ground. My little darling.

Mini Stockings

These are the first of many mini-stockings (say that fast three times) that I'm making as tags for this year's Christmas presents. Each is a granny hexagon that is folded in half and seamed around the outside edge. Fast, cute and fun. What more could you ask for in a pattern? Doris Chan is offering this as a free download on Ravelry and on her blog. I'm going to see how many I can make without duplicating a color sequence. (I'm up to 12 so far.)

I also finished another scarf for Addy with the leftover yarn from her Roselette sweater and Swirls cap. The pattern is one I came up with - 4x4 basketweave on the ends, with 2x2 ribs in the center. Very textural and fun. The idea is that the button can be threaded through anywhere on the scarf so Addy can wear it snug around her neck when it's cold (it was -4 in Loveland this week) or fashionably loose when the weather is warmer.
I tried to take these photos as the sun was setting; I'm bummed they turned out so crummy. Hope I can get better ones before I ship this off tomorrow.

The White Stuff

Slow day for blogging so I'm going to steal borrow a photo that Dick's sister sent. This is snow in California. Not where we are on the coast - we just got rain and wind and cold. This is the high desert near Lancaster/Palmdale, where over 8" of the white stuff is sticking to the ground. Sure is pretty in a shivery, break-out-the-shovel kinda way.

We went to see a live production of Jesus Christ Superstar - featuring Ted Neeley, who also starred in the move - tonight at the Wilshire Theatre. I spent the very long, very wet drive down to Beverly Hills, plus the half hour before the play started, working on these. I'll try to get photos tomorrow.

JC was the first professional play I ever saw, right out of high school. I'd been involved in high school musicals as part of the band or orchestra, but seeing a professionally done, very controversial (at the time) play was eye-opening. Dick and I love going to plays and musicals and we've seen several live versions of JC - and the movie, multiple times - over the years.

Maybe I was expecting too much - Neeley has to be getting up there in years - but this one was disappointing. Not a lot of energy, odd staging, just blah. Oh well. Phantom of the Opera is coming in January. Bet that will be excellent.

Felt So Good

I took a felted ornaments class today with Jane Davis, author, teacher and all-around crafty person, who just happens to live around the corner from my favorite LYS. The ornaments are wet-felted over a styrofoam ball, then the decorative elements are applied with needle felting. Considering that all of this is free-form - and I am not an artist - I thought mine turned out pretty well.

Naia and Leia were at the house when I got back from class. Whenever Naia visits, I try to find something crafty for her to do. (Yes, I'm trying to bring her over to the dark craft side.) One of my classmates mentioned making felted soap, which is the perfect project for a seven-year-old who loves playing with water and bubbles. (I used this tutorial for a refresher.)
I found a Deb Menz-style multi-colored wool batt that I'd made in a guild workshop, grabbed a few bars of cheap soap stashed in my wool bins (the smell keeps the moths out. Allegedly), put the step stool up to the sink, and we were ready. Naia, like most 7-year-olds, has a pretty short attention span. I've tried other projects with her - weaving potholders, crochet, cross-stitch - and nothing has held her interest like this did. We spent over 2 hours happily wrapping soap with roving, soaking it with hot water and sudsing it all around until it felted.

We ended up with three felted soaps. One, the only bar of Camay I used, took much longer to felt and the wool didn't cover as well. The other two - good old strong scented Irish Spring - felted fast and easily. Naia is thrilled with her treasures and we had a great time playing in the water. What more could you ask of a project?

p.s. I was supposed to take another felting class yesterday but I was the only one signed up so it was canceled. That instructor was in today's class and it turns out she wants to learn to make crocheted socks. So . . . we're going to trade instruction. I'll make a felted Santa and she'll make my basic sock recipe. How cool is that!!

Socks. Done.

I love making crocheted socks. Love.Them. This is my basic sock pattern - pieces of patterns from here and there that work for me - and is what I teach in my beginning sock class. These took about 8 hours; I got both cuffs done last night while watching teevee.

And it looks like I finished them just in time. Our first winter storm is supposed to hit here later today, with nighttime temps all the way down in the 30's. (For California, that's really cold. Stop laughing.) At least my toes will be nice and toasty.

Making A List, Checking It Twice

I love having little kids around at this time of year. They are so excited about the lights and decorations and trees and presents and SANTA. We took the California branch to visit the jolly old guy this week. I thought Miles - who turns 3 shortly after Christmas - might not care for this strange bearded guy, but he thought the whole thing was great fun, as did Naia. Leia? Leia couldn't have cared less. But she sure looked cute in her little 'jammies and headband. (you can click the picture to see it bigger.)

Merry Christmas to you and yours!

Date Day

After I got home from yesterday's spin night, I decided it was time for us to get out of town. A quick spin down the innerwebs and I had tickets for today at Hearst Castle.

Dick and I love visiting La Casa Grande but didn't realize how long it's been since our last trip. This visitor's center was completed in 1996 and we've never seen it before. That's just sad.
The castle doesn't look very imposing from the center (see it up on the hill?);until you realize that it's over 5 miles away. Close up, it's every bit as imposing - and beautiful - as you may have heard, with unimpeded views from the coast, to the mountains, and back again. Begun in 1919 and finished in 1947, it was donated to the State of California in 1956. Everywhere you look there are statues and artwork and incredible details on every surface. The two pools - outdoor and indoor - are both in pristine condition. Our tour guide said that during August, staff and friends are allowed to swim in the outdoor pool. Makes me want to move up there just for that.

Each of the approx. 165 rooms in the house are overwhelmingly ornate - and the gorgeous ceilings, many brought intact from Europe, are among my favorite things. But if you look closely, you can also see touches of whimsy and humor. Like the 'mooning' cherubs hanging their bare behinds over the front entrance and along the front facade. Cheeky little devils. The reason we went to the Castle now was to see the holiday decorations. Lights, trees, poinsettias and garland in the 2500 square foot front assembly room (that's not a typo; the scale of everything on the hill is unimaginably oversized) - along with the priceless tapestries and choir stalls - and in the dining room, where the table is still set with bottles of mustard and ketchup along with the antique silver and china. The day was gorgeous, with temps in the 60's, and flowers in bloom everywhere. December in California; it's such a hardship.

The Good Life

I'm sitting in my recliner, with a cat on my lap and another at my feet, eating Brie and crackers and drinking a glass of good Merlot, all of which (not the cats) I won on the Guild's raffle table last week; having just come home from spinning night at my LYS where I crocheted on a shawl* while helping two students work on their first pair of crocheted socks and getting a friend started on her first crocheted shawl.

Life doesn't get much better.

*I decided the shawl I finished last night was too short, so I added another 20+ inches. Better too long than too short.

Blocked

This - is now this: 16" wide by about 71" long. I'm estimating on the length; it's too long to fit on my blocking board so I had to buy a second one to get this shawl pinned out.

And where do you put two full blocking boards? On a ping pong table, of course. Gary and his buddies aren't overly happy with me but I'll have this off tomorrow and things will get back to normal. Maybe.

Projects!

Although there hasn't been much proof here lately, I have been working on several projects. Most are for class samples but a couple are for fun.

Another Crocus Bud Shawl, this time for Tanya in black silky alpaca lace. I'm about 85% done with this one and hope to have it in the mail by Tuesday. I showed this to my last two crochet classes and they all want to make one. The pattern is easy - a one-row repeat - and the finished project is spectacular.

I'm doing a bulky version of the Mock Faroese Shawl that Anne and I are teaching (she's teaching the knit version; I'm doing the crocheted) in February. I've also done this pattern in lace (cashmere - yum!) and fingering (sock yarn). Not crazy about these colors but maybe they'll grow on me.
I started these stash-yarn socks for last week's crocheted sock class. I won the yarn in a raffle at the crochet show in Oakland two years ago. It's a little loud but I think they'll make good spinning socks (I don't wear shoes when using my spinning wheels so it's the perfect time to show off hand-crocheted socks).

And since I couldn't resist these colors - brown + teal + orange = perfect - I'm making two pairs of socks at the same time, hoping to prevent 2nd (4th??) sock syndrome. And speaking of no resistance, look what followed me home from my LYS's holiday party. Bamboo, wool and silk in the most gorgeous cranberry reds. Not sure if this will become a pineapple shawl or a basketweave tee, but I bought 12 balls just to make sure I have enough. 'Cause you never know when a yarn drought might strike.

Happy Holly Days

We took the grandkids to get holiday pix last week (at J.C. Penney; what a disaster. The pix turned out great but the service was awful. Doubt we'll be going back there!)

The kids were all in a good mood and the photographer was great, getting them to smile and ham it up - especially Miles - for the camera. That boy does love to have a camera focused on him. Isn't Leia getting big? Only 3 months old and already sitting up and trying to stand. Note the pierced ears - very cute. Happy Holly Days from the California branch.

Why I've Been Missing From Blogland

RIP
Computer BATTERY

We had a power surge two nights ago and it blew the fuse to my studio - and all my computer equipment. When I tried to get the computer going again, it took almost 30 minutes just to get to the log-in screen - NOT a good sign. I decided to replace the CMOS battery (the little coin-sized battery that holds important info - like the date and time - when the power goes off) before I totally panicked. And Voila, I'm back up and computing.

And yes, while I was out buying a battery I also bought a UPS system. Better late than never, right?